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Curiosity, observations and asking questions are the ingredients of science. If you have an interesting question or observation let us know.
Grab your favorite adventurer's hat and your sense of wonder and head into the amazing world of science with, Indiana Expeditions! Join one of Indiana's most honored and respected science teachers on a journey to discover how real science impacts our lives every day. Rick Crosslin knows science is cool – now he's teamed up with WFYI to show kids and their teachers just how it rocks our world. From a real-life dinosaur dig to a bizarre suit made from Diet Coke®, Rick Crosslin opens eyes to the incredible things taking place around us every day.
Episode 101: Earth Science
Rick follows real dinosaur bones from a dig site in South Dakota as they come out of the earth and ultimately make their way to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Other adventures delve below the earth's surface into Indiana caves and a real coal mine.Watch This Episode Online:
 1. Program Intro |
2. South Dakota Dino Dig |
| 3. Indiana Fossils |
4. Microfossils |
| 5. Feature the Teacher |
6. Coal |
| 7. Caves |
8. Bone Prep |
Download Episode Video and Lessons here:  |
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Related Links:
To start your own Indiana Expedition.
- Sign up for a dino dig at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis
- Visit the Dinosphere at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis
- Start your own Indiana rock and fossil collection
Information on Caves
and how to preserve them
Cave Conservancy Foundation, Richmond VA
Marengo Cave, US National Landmark
and how to preserve them
Cave Conservancy Foundation, Richmond VA
Marengo Cave, US National Landmark
Episdoe 102: Life Science
A nighttime crawdad hunt highlights the amazing array of creatures found in Indiana's natural waterways. But the fun doesn’t stop there as viewers see how to build their own water habitat, plus learn ways of conserving this precious natural resource. Water, the currency of life.Watch This Episode Online:
| 1. Program Intro |
2. Amazon |
| 3. Creek Stomp |
4. Caiman |
| 5. Aquarium |
6. Pond |
| 7. Lake |
8. Amazon Fish |
| 9. Eagle Creek |
10. Feature the Teacher |
| 11. Veolia Water |
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Download Episode Video and Lessons here: |
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Related Links:
To start your own Indiana Expedition.
- Explore an Indiana creek, pond, or lake with your family
- Set up a natural aquarium
- Make a list of ways to conserve water at home and school
Center for Earth and Environmental Science, IUPUI
Indianapolis Water
Episode 103: Physical Science
Bring out the amazing Diet Coke suit! What can the soft drink show us about our physical world? You have to see this to believe it! Viewers will watch the real process of creating steel – a solid, then a liquid, then a solid again. And what happens when a hospital lets Rick in to investigate its Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine? Density, Magnetism and Science Methods all designed for viewers to "try it yourself!"Watch This Episode Online:
| 1. Program Intro |
2. Sink or Float |
| 3. SDI |
4. Feature the Teacher |
| 5. MRI |
6. Conclusion |
Download Episode Video and Lessons here: |
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Related Links:
To start your own Indiana Expedition.
- Ask your parents how magnets are used in their jobs
- Build an electromagnet
- Investigate things that sink or float in your home
Episode 201: Creepy Crawly Science (Life Science)
Indiana is home to some very creepy, and sometimes very dangerous, creatures. You may not see them, but our state harbors poisonous snakes and other critters with a bite that can do some serious damage. Host Rick Crosslin explains why even the lowly mosquito can have a large impact on life. Best of all, you'll learn how science teaches us to live in harmony and safety with the creepy-crawlies. Imagine a critter that can grow back an arm! Many of these strange animals have great benefits for people.Watch This Episode Online:
| 1. Introduction |
2. Reptile Days |
| 3. The Thompson Family Pets |
4. Feature the Teacher |
| 5. Entomology at Purdue University |
6. Mosquito Control |
Download Episode Video and Lessons here: |
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Related Links:
- Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana Camp
- Indiana State Museum
- The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
- Snake Head Ed - Ed Frerrer
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources
- O'Bannon Woods State Park
- Marion County Health Department
- Marion County Mosquito Control
- Purdue University Entomology Education Outreach
- Department of Entomology, Purdue
- Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis
- Department of Biology, IUPUI
- Steve Thompson Critter Junction
- Creston Middle School
- MSD Warren Township
- Indiana Department of Education
- Indiana Department of Education – Science Education
Episode 202: Forces That Shaped Indiana (Earth Science)
Dig down deep enough in Indiana and you'll find the elements that make our world rock-solid, from simple gypsum to the sedimentary rocks that makes the Hoosier state famous around the world. Where does it all come from, what is the force behind it all, and just as importantly, where does it all go? Science teacher and host Rick Crosslin takes you around the state to show you how Indiana has been sculpted by natural forces over thousands of years. No matter how you cut it, Indiana rocks!Watch This Episode Online:
Related Links:
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources
- Indiana Dunes State Park
- U.S. National Park Department
- Shades State Park
- Pine Hills Nature Preserve
- National Gypsum
- Department of Natural Resources Division of Reclamation
- Indiana Geological Survey
- MSD Wayne Township
- Interstate Mining Commission Compact
- Indiana DNR Mineral Educator Workshop
- Fairbanks Park, Terre Haute, Indiana
- The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Episode 203: The Science of Sound (Physical Science)
Do you like making music or making noise – or both? Host Rick Crosslin takes a trip into the amazing world of sound, the energy that helps us communicate, keeps us entertained and even provides life-saving warnings. But have you ever seen sound? How can you hear under water? And if you put your ear to the ground, will you get more than earful of dirt? No matter how you hear it, after these exciting experiments, you'll never look at sound the same way again!Watch This Episode Online:
Related Links:
- Avon Community Schools
- Biotechnology Learning Center, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
- Butler University Jordan Jazz
- Danville Community School Corporation
- Indianapolis Public Schools
- Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
- The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
- Indianapolis Zoo Dolphin Adventure
- Tim Brimmer, PhD., Department of Fine Arts, Butler University
Episode 204: Life Cycles (Life Science)
So which came first, the chicken or the egg? Award-winning science teacher and host Rick Crosslin shows you how life, whether it's plants or creatures, is really one endless, fascinating circle! Imagine a seed that grows so fast, it's a full plant in just over a week – and dead less than a month later, right here in Indiana. From insects to people, from seeds to DNA – learn how we are part of the cycles that keep turning 'round and 'round in the world around us.Watch This Episode Online:
| 1. Introduction |
2. The Human Life Cycle and DNA |
| 3. Life Cycle of a Plant |
4. Dow Agro Sciences |
| 5. Feature the Teacher |
6. Forensic Entomology at Purdue University |
| 7. Axolotl Study and Close |
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Download Episode Video and Lessons here: |
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Related Links:
Episode 205: Indiana Weather (Earth Science)
Indiana experiences some of the most brutal weather found anywhere in the United States, and then, it really gets weird! Host Rick Crosslin introduces you to people who LIVE for weather and finds out what's really the most dangerous to Hoosiers. Is it tornadoes, floods, maybe blizzards? The answer will surprise you. And what's with those crazy people who actually chase (and catch) potentially deadly storms? Learn why the bizarre weather patterns Indiana's experienced in recent years may be a true sign of the times.Watch This Episode Online:
| 1. Introduction |
2. Weather Cycle and Extreme Weather |
| 3. The Forecast 8 Weather Team |
4. Doppler Effect |
| 5. Climatology at Purdue |
6. Feature The Teacher |
| 7. Ball State Storm Chasers |
8. Close |
Download Episode Video and Lessons here: |
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Related Links:
Episode 206: Newton Must Have Been a Sports Fan (Physical Science)
Once upon a time an apple fell from Sir Isaac Newton's tree, and ever since we've heard about Newton's Laws. But did you know that if you just look, you can see Newton's Laws in action everywhere around you? Science teacher and host Rick Crosslin goes to bat to show how the laws of motion are the foundation of your favorite sports and what kind of cool stuff happens when you drop things from tall buildings. You'll be amazed at the science in motion, right before your eyes.Watch This Episode Online:
| 1. Introduction |
2. Newton’s 3 Laws |
| 3. Science of the Yo-Yo and Feature the Teacher |
4. The Science of Racing |
| 5. The Science of Baseball |
6. Close |
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Related Links:
Indiana Expeditions is made possible with the generous support of the Dr. Laura Hare Charitable Trust, Indiana Department of Education, Science Education Foundation of Indiana, Inc. and Veolia Water.
